


The Fall of HAM 45

by Lost_Elf



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Feelings, I call it comic relief, Idiots in Love, M/M, Major Character Injury, Recovery, Rhys is Handsome Jack's Personal Assistant, Smutty Flashbacks, Some Plot, mainly feelings and angst, with D/s undertones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:56:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28693569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Elf/pseuds/Lost_Elf
Summary: The facility supplied military force to four separate Eridium mining sites, two other bases and one [INFORMATION REDACTED]. No, uh. And one construction site, for now called Hyperion City 7. All but one of those places had a secondary source of military and supplies, and the last one could be arranged. HAM 23 or HAM 27 would be great, Rhys should note this down before he—[ERROR #118 – echonet connection lost]What? How could echonet go down on a Hyperion base? Especially this one, a big base with great infrastructure, the most recent model. There would have to be a jamming signal so strong that Rhys’ ECHOeye wouldn’t work at all, or the base would have to be completely destroyed, which was a ridiculous thought, because Rhys wasatthe base.*-*-*-*-*Rhys gets hurt and Jack saves him, but Rhys still doesn't realise that Jack cares about him.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	The Fall of HAM 45

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this since October, but after the drama around a certain October writing challenge, I lost the will to finish it. But now I did!
> 
> There is a lot of angst in this one, but it's not dark, just angsty. Rhys is heavily injured for the first half of the story and hallucinating.
> 
> Many thanks for [JacksRightHand](https://twitter.com/SSRhack) for proofreading the first half of the story!

Hyperion Awesome Military Base 36-B4, or HAM 45, used to stand in a very strategic location. It wasn’t crucially important for Hyperion, and losing it meant essentially nothing, but it would be a noticeable loss compared to ninety percent of other Hyperion facilities on Pandora. Handsome Jack will be pissed, Rhys noted to himself. 5 884 people were situated at the base at the time of the explosion— Wait, explosion?

An average family of a Hyperion employee outside of Helios has 4,8 members. That means that [ **ERROR #4c5af93e – couldn’t access object 2de4ade998bb7a** ] What the—?! Anyway, that means that approximately 22,359 2 people would lose a close family member, possibly the main provider, were HAM 45 to go down.

The facility supplied military force to four separate Eridium mining sites, two other bases and one [ **INFORMATION REDACTED** ]. No, uh. And one construction site, for now called Hyperion City 7. All but one of those places had a secondary source of military and supplies, and the last one could be arranged. HAM 23 or HAM 27 would be great, Rhys should note this down before he—

[ **ERROR #118 – echonet connection lost** ]

What? How could echonet go down on a Hyperion base? Especially this one, a big base with great infrastructure, the most recent model. There would have to be a jamming signal so strong that Rhys’ ECHOeye wouldn’t work at all, or the base would have to be completely destroyed, which was a ridiculous thought, because Rhys was _at_ the base.

* * *

There were very few things Rhys knew for sure. Ignoring the basics – like the fact that he couldn’t move and he was looking directly at a huge chunk of concrete, which was supposedly crushing his body, and that something went wrong during this trip – he could count the things he knew for sure on his hands.

One, the whole base was destroyed. It was an act of sabotage, using a previously unnoticed weak point in the infrastructure to cause a series of fatal and all-destroying explosions. The saboteur, or group of saboteurs, had to be someone with a high rank or with a very good source of information. Possibly, the sabotage could be linked to an information leak event 80 days prior that Rhys couldn’t stop thinking about for some reason.

Two, the echonet didn’t go down immediately, but Rhys spent the last couple of minutes when it was active downloading random data, using remote servers for tiny, irrelevant calculations and processes and being mostly out of it, presumably due to a head injury. He did that instead of alerting a potential rescue team of his location, or what would be more beneficial to Hyperion and Handsome Jack himself, uploading and backing up all the data from his cybernetics, so the culprit and the weak point could maybe be located more easily. He was sure that he would do the latter if he were conscious enough back then, even though everything in him was screaming to do the former, _to save himself_.

Three, there was no way for him to get out of there. He was at the lowest level of the building when the explosions began, and he didn’t even get to a table, or a doorway. It was a miracle that he wasn’t crushed to death immediately, with seven floors worth or debris on top of him. For once, Rhys was relatively lucky.

Four, he wasn’t ready to die. Not today, not like this. Rhys always expected to die because of his dreams and goals, either by being stabbed in the back by someone whose ambitions reached just a little bit higher than his, or by Handsome Jack himself if he stopped being useful, or maybe just be airlocked for no reason on a bad day. A sabotage? That was not the plan. That sounded _painful_ , and it was, but his brain didn’t even bother registering the pain most of the time.

Five, he only had one hand. The cybernetic one was crushed under a metallic piece of debris, the upper arm snapped in half by the weight of it. Rhys supposed he was lucky that the debris didn’t land a little bit closer, because then all of his arm would be squashed, his shoulder port damaged, and the sharp piece protruding from the metallic trash would be jammed much deeper into his stomach.

Ah, yeah, the bleeding, he should have mentioned that in his listing. His thoughts didn’t clear up fully yet. It was better but not good. He was mostly aware of his situation but kept blacking out or getting distracted. At least he couldn’t download random data off the echonet anymore. He didn’t need more cat breeding statistics in his memory space when [ **ERROR #118 – echonet connection lost. If this problem persists, contact Support. Preferably via echomail.** ]

Rhys frowned. He wasn’t aware of activating his ECHOeye or launching any processes. And he was suddenly so tired. He blinked the eye off, yawning when the world went dark.

* * *

Rhys woke up with his teeth rattling and body shivering. He was freezing, which was ridiculous. He knew that he could not possibly be cold there, that even if it was night in the desert, he had seven floors worth of rubble to keep him warm. But logic didn’t work on his freezing body and he continued to be cold.

It was an unbelievably annoying feeling, being cold. Being a spoiled child of the first world, he always had the option to put on a sweater or another layer when he was cold. He always had a comforter. Or a warm body to press against.

_“Are ya cold, kitten?” Jack asked, his voice smug. He knew that the shiver was caused by his burning hot hand on Rhys’ naked skin and not the cold air of the office. But the office didn’t help._

_“It’s freezing here,” Rhys said even though he was burning up with desire. “I think we should huddle close for warmth.”_

_“Hmm,” Jack hummed, smirk softening into something_ else _. “I think you’re right. Wouldn’t want my PA to catch cold.”_

_Finally, Jack’s body pressed into Rhys’, caging him against the desk. Jack kept his clothes on, as always, but Rhys felt his warmth anyway, and he ate it up, almost choking on it. A desperate sound left his lips, one he would be ashamed of if he could think literally about anything else but his boss on top of him._

_“Still cold?” Jack hummed, face slowly leaning down until his burning hot lips made contact with Rhys’ neck, hot fingertips touching Rhys’ organic hand._

“H-hot… Mmm, no… Cold. I’m c-cold, yeah. I’m cold… So cold.” Rhys’ voice was raspy and quiet. His mouth felt dry, perched. He wasn’t sure who he’d been talking to, but as his throat ached, complaining about being used again, he quickly came to, realising that he’d been out of it again.

“Shit,” he groaned, forcing his eyes open. There was still the same block of concrete above him, still looming over his body and never pressing down enough to end his life. Rhys was thankful that the block didn’t crush him yet, but he suppressed the urge to thank the inanimate object, clinging to the last threads of his sanity.

The feeling of hotness on his fingers persisted, so Rhys tried to bring them up to his face. He thought that it didn’t work at first, feeling nothing, as if his left arm was cut off too, but a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Forcing his head to tilt to the side, he watched his trembling hand stuck mid-air, covered in glistening dark red blood.

“That looks _bad_ , Pumpkin! I’m pretty sure this belongs inside your body and not outside…”

Rhys blinked, looking beyond his hand, that flopped uselessly to the floor when he stopped focusing on it. “Jack?” he rasped.

And there he was. His boss in all his glory, laying next to him. He had a blue hue, stronger than the rest of the tiny world around Rhys. Why did the world have a blue hue anyway? Probably because of the ECHOeye. Definitely the eye, of course! _Focus!_

“You in there?” Jack teased, making a silly face at Rhys. “I’m not payin’ ya for slacking off.”

“I’m okay,” Rhys assured him, blinking to chase the exhaustion away. It persisted, and he scowled. “Just feeling weird. I’ve had a long day.”

“Aww, poor little kitten,” Jack cooed. “Do you want me to make hot cocoa for you and massage your feet?” He chuckled at his own joke, and the sound sent warmth through Rhys’ body. It wasn’t enough, though.

“I’m gonna get back to work,” Rhys decided. Chatting with Jack always distracted him, and then he was behind and catching up late at night. Jack never seemed to mind that, insisting that Rhys could finish his work the next day, but what PA would he be if he did that? No, he was at the top of Hyperion, as close to the shining sun that Jack is as physically possible. He needed to be the best.

Trying to move his arms under himself and get up, Rhys found himself slowly waking up. It was really confusing, and it took him long minutes to realise that he had blacked out because of pain. His mouth was too dry to allow him to swear, but he said a lot of bad words in his head.

Suddenly, his head rolled to the left. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but it wasn’t there. Nor was a way out of this. All he could do was lay back and wait for death.

“You know what I find amusing? Casinos. People pay you to be allowed to pay you even more. A big sum at the entrance, another with every game… I mean, how _stupid_ does one have to be to do that? They are... I should build a casino. Oh-hohohoho, I’m building a casino!”

Swallowing with a wince of pain, because it made his dry throat feel like he just ate a cactus, Rhys turned his head to the left again. His eyes fell upon Jack, who was laying on his side, picking at his nails. He didn’t seem to notice Rhys was there.

Jack looked amazing. He always did, but right now, spotless and perfect among the rubble and chaos? This was possibly his best look. All the destruction around them didn’t even touch him. He was like a god, a titan, endless and almighty. Beautiful.

“Is there something on my face?” he asked suddenly, and Rhys blinked.

When he opened his eyes, Jack wasn’t spotless anymore. He was covered in dust and blood, had wounds. His mask was torn open, the clear skin under it burnt. His lip was swollen and bleeding and his eyes didn’t have the energic shine they always had.

“Jack?!” Rhys croaked urgently, trying to get to the boss, but as soon as he moved, his whole body began to hurt. He looked down, as much as he could, and noticed that he was also covered in dust. “What happened?” he asked, still trying to move, breathe through the pain. He _must_ get to Jack and help him.

“He-he-hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” the older man shouted, causing all of Rhys’ movements to still. “Now, that’s better,” he praised, his previously angry voice now a low, pleased murmur, the one he only saved for their occasional fucking.

_“You good down there, Cupcake?” Jack asked, looking down at the employee under his desk. “Nice and comfy?”_

_“Hmm, could be better,” Rhys hummed teasingly, making big eyes at his boss. This was possibly the kinkiest thing they had ever done, and he was absolutely loving it. The cuffs on his wrists were weak, plastic. He could easily break them, but instead, he chose to submit. He waited for Jack to ask, and when he did, he explained: “It’s a bit lonely down here. Why don’t you come closer?”_

_A smirk spread on his boss’s face as he carefully rolled the chair forward, caging Rhys in. As he spread his legs, Rhys saw how hard Jack already was._ He _did that to him._

 _Rhys didn’t wait for Jack to urge him on and leaned forward. First, he just rested his cheek on the CEO’s thigh, looking up. Jack kept a smirk on his lips, but his eyes were kind. “Go on, kitten, you’re doing great,” he said in a low voice, sending shivers down Rhys’ spine. So, he leaned forward again, until the tip of his nose was touching the tent on Jack’s pants. He took a deep breath and nuzzled it. It felt_ dirty _, to sit under his boss’s desk, handcuffed and worshipping his crotch, but he never felt more_ alive _._

“You like that, don’t you?” Jack asked.

Rhys looked to the left to see that he was okay and unharmed again, and the relief almost knocked him out. He took a deep breath, gladly ignoring Jack’s next jab against him. Wait, no.

“You’re _easy_ for me. Only took a couple months until you agreed to blow me. Even Meg lasted longer, but _Rhysie is a slut_ ,” Jack continued in a singsong voice.

Frowning, Rhys tried again to remember what was wrong. This wasn’t right, something was… But the words hurt him, and— No.

“Focus,” he reprimanded himself, the word but a hiss of air. Jack was mocking him, that much was clear. For all the times he let him fuck his ass or mouth. But why? Well, obviously because Rhys is a disgusting— No! No, he is not. He didn’t think that, Jack didn’t— Or did he?

“You’re weak, Rhys,” the CEO continued. “It’s ridiculous. You’re slow, lazy, pathetic. Did you even notice that you can access the system and turn off the cooling?”

“I-I…” Rhys stuttered, fighting to stop the burning in his eyes. Why did those words hurt so much? Jack always treated him with respect and now he was— “Wait,” Rhys rasped, the word more in his head than out of his mouth. “What did you say?”

“Which part?” Jack laughed. “About your pathetic excuse of an ass, or about the cooling system?”

System, system… Rhys focused on connecting the ECHOeye to the Hyperion intranet, puzzled when it worked. But why was he puzzled?

“ _Focus_ , you fuckwit!” the CEO growled right next to him. “Turn. The cooling. Off. Do I need to speak even slower?”

“No, sir,” Rhys breathed out and accessed the cooling system, completely shutting it off. He was curious where it even got enough power to run for that long, but as he tried to check it out, the connection was severed.

“You did good, Rhysie,” Jack whispered next to him, stroking his hair. “Sleep now, kitten. Tomorrow’s more work for us.”

“Mmm,” the PA hummed. Even the simple task quickly drained what little energy he had. Closing his eyes, he succumbed to darkness.

* * *

“Do you know the park on 61-B? I’d like to take you there someday…”

Rhys opened his eyes in utter darkness. He had to turn his ECHOeye on to see around. The world got a blue hue, but at least he could see Jack now, who was eating a corndog, similar to the ones they sold in the park on 61-B.

“No, Jack, that’s wrong,” the PA told him with a chuckle. It wasn’t often that he got to correct the boss on something, so he enjoyed it. “ _I_ always wanted to go there with you. You have no idea that I have feelings for you.”

“Oh, don’t I?” the older man asked, disappointed. Like a child, Rhys thought, and chuckled again. “I thought we were dating. You know, dates, gifts, fucking like rabbits…”

“Hah, nope,” Rhys denied, shaking his head at the silly idea. “I work for you, and I’m hot. And you’re hotter. That’s why we fuck.”

“But I haven’t killed you yet,” the CEO continued.

“That’s because I’m good,” Rhys explained. “I’m the best PA you’ve ever had. And my ass is great.”

_“Rhys, pin— on!”_

“What did you say?” the cyborg asked, looking at the other man. The movement took more energy than before. He frowned when he noticed that Jack looked different. His everyday work clothes were replaced by a standard Hyperion armour.

“I didn’t say anything,” he denied, toying with his helmet.

Snorting, Rhys persisted, knowing that Jack was probably just making fun of him. “You just—"

_“Rhys, if you hear— ping me your loc—”_

“Location?” he asked with a frown. “Why would I ping you my location? You’re literally just here with me!” he snorted, a light frown on his face. He hated when Jack tried those cheap pranks on him. He was worth more. Expensive pranks. Like that time when Jack bought a big bouquet of flowers, left it on his desk and then pretended it wasn’t him.

“Not to me,” Jack smirked, tossing the helmet away. “To _him_ , up there,” he pointed towards the sky. Or, well, the block of concrete above them. Why did it feel so normal? That wasn’t supposed to be there.

Rhys thought for a while. He never believed in God, and even if there were one, they weren’t there for him. “There is no-one up there,” he retorted after a while. It was absurd even thinking about it. “There is no _big man in the sky_. Just Jack on Helios.”

“So,” the CEO said slowly, as if Rhys was being exceptionally stupid today. “Ping him your location.”

Frowning, Rhys bristled. “I’m not stupid! Besides, I don’t even have echonet signal. This is—”

Suddenly, Jack was _furious_. Rhys witnessed the CEO’s rage many times, but it was never targeted against him. “ _Just do it!_ ” he screamed, waving a gun in Rhys’ direction. “Do it, you son of a taint! Ping him your location! **_Do it!_** ”

Rhys nodded, focused on his ECHOeye again and blacked out.

* * *

_“You can use the shower before you go. And take the rest of the day off. I kinda did a mess, didn’t I? Forgot to ask if you’re okay with that…”_

_If Rhys didn’t know any better, he would think that Handsome Jack_ _was trying to apologise to him for coming in his ass. But he did know better, so he knew that he was just being teased, or maybe placated. “I asked you to cum in me, remember?” he answered, standing up to face the CEO. He knew that he was blushing, it was unavoidable, but maybe it could be blamed on the sex they just had._

_Biting his lip, Rhys managed to stay still and not fidget while Jack looked him over. Naked as he stood, with cum running down his thigh but his chin held high and a challenge in his eyes. He was the boldest man on Helios to challenge Handsome Jack while naked in front of him. Yet Jack seemed to like it._

_“I…” the CEO said, trailing off as his eyes remained fixed on something below Rhys’ neck. The PA fought not to look down. “Anyway, take the rest of the day off, shower or not. I’ll go back to work.” He had_ _shaken it all off instantly, as if it wasn’t even there, the pause, the look, the warmth. Rhys took a shower and left to celebrate getting laid._

_But then he stopped and turned around, returning to Jack’s desk. “Remember the time I brought you the cheap tacos from the stand near my favourite club when you were staying at the office overnight? You liked them. Do you want me to get them for you again?”_

_Jack was already sitting at his desk, typing on his computer. He stopped and looked up; his brows scrunched up in concern. “Rhys, that hadn’t happened yet,” he told him. “That was three months later, the first time we spent the whole night together not working. I can’t remember that.”_

_“Oh,” the PA said sadly._

A loud, crunching sound pierced the air, resonating for what seemed like minutes, travelling through the space around Rhys. And in the end, the ceiling was closer to his face than he remembered it. He could smell the dust on the concrete, he could almost touch it. It must have gotten loose while he was out of it.

“Realistically, it’s only an inch lower, but it surely feels like a couple feet, doesn’t it?” Jack said next to him, fascination in his voice. “It’s cool what our brains do when we’re scared. Often disgusting, but also cool.”

“Are you scared?” Rhys asked.

“Me? Handsome Jack is never scared, kiddo,” the CEO brushed him off, then added: “But you are.”

“I’m not,” Rhys defended himself. “What would I be afraid of?”

“Dying. You’re dying, Rhys.” Jack’s voice became a deadpan. Rhys laughed at him.

“I’m not! Why would I be?”

“A building had collapsed on top of you, and you were bleeding. Not sure if you still are…”

“A building, huh?” Rhys hummed, thinking about it. He forced his eyes open and activated his cybernetic eye to help him see in the darkness. When did he even turn it off?

All around him was rubble, and it was unpleasant to look at. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to see.

Suddenly, he remembered. Something small clicked in his head and the information was back. “You wanted me to ping you my location,” he noted, something cold travelling through his veins. The air around him was hot, though.

“Not me; the big man in the sky,” Jack corrected him.

“Did I make it?” Rhys asked. His mind was too fuzzy to remember.

“No idea.”

“Oh,” Rhys breathed out. He focused on getting a connection again, but everything around him was dead. No echonet, no intranet, not even a distant hum of electricity. He was in a grave, and he couldn’t even be sure if the signal was real the first or the second time.

I mean, how _ridiculous_ is it? Jack looking for him in the rubble of HAM 45. “It was just a dream,” he concluded. “I don’t know if I even was awake before.”

Jack chuckled. “And are you awake now?”

* * *

The sounds appeared again, and they didn’t leave, forcing him to open his eyes and scowl at the ceiling. The rock was shaking slightly, almost imperceptibly, and the noise was growing louder.

“It’s gonna collapse,” he noted. And then it hit him. All the fear, pain, in all clarity, he felt it all at once. “It’s gonna collapse,” he repeated. “I’m gonna, I’m gonna die…”

Suddenly, there was a hand holding his, another one sweeping blood soaked, crusty hair off his forehead. “Hey, shh, you’re not gonna die. Not while I’m still here,” Jack promised. “Just go back to sleep, baby. I’m gonna protect you.”

“Don’t leave me,” Rhys choked out, trying to grip the hand that was slipping away from him. He couldn’t move, though. He didn’t feel anything below the neck.

“I’m here, baby,” Jack whispered, so close to his ear that Rhys should be able to feel his breath on his skin. “I’m right here, with you. I love you.”

Rhys gasped and coughed as it aggravated his throat. He nodded his head weakly, unable to say anything else. He didn’t see, but he felt Jack’s hands on his face, tilting his head to the side. And then for the first time ever, Jack’s lips connected with his. He relaxed into it and let the darkness take him away from the fear.

* * *

_“Thought you would be a morning bird,” Jack said mockingly. “Does it always take you thirty minutes to get out of bed?”_

_“Only when I stay up till 5 AM and get up at 6,” the PA answered, yawning. “I should have gone home, or right to the office,” he added, guiltily biting his lip. It was past half past six and they were both late because of him and his inability to get out of Jack’s bed._

_“Hmm, maybe the third round was really too much,” Jack admitted, rolling his head until his spine made a loud_ pop _. “Coffee?” he asked then, pushing a mug towards Rhys._

 _It felt_ domestic _. If Rhys was wearing Jack’s shirt instead of the clothes he came here in yesterday, it would be like a one-night stand with a sweet, happy ending. But he was no fool, and he knew that that was not what it was. Him and Jack fucked semi-regularly, and_ _that was it. He made him coffee because he needed Rhys to be sharp in the office that day, and not to make his morning nicer._

_He still accepted the coffee with a kind smile and a small blush. Just for a moment, he could pretend that it was something more, and if Jack teased him about it, he could blame it on the exhaustion._

“It was a bad idea,” Rhys said, trying to wave his hand widely. “I shouldn’t have talked to you. I felt so sick in the evening; I was angry with myself. Giving myself hope, stupid, stupid me!”

“Have I ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?” Jack asked, ignoring his rant.

“You said that my eye is cool a billion times,” Rhys snorted.

“But have I ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?” Jack insisted.

Rhys didn’t have to think about it because he knew. “Once.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jack brushed it off suddenly, using his keep-it-professional voice. “You’re distracting.”

“You’re distracting!” Rhys retorted with a scowl.

“No, I’m— Look, I need you to focus and stop distracting me. There is something important I need to tell you, if you just let me!”

“As if I could ever get you to shut up,” Rhys joked, chuckling. “You talk all the time.”

“Rhys! _Focus_ ,” Jack hissed. He hadn’t used that tone of voice on him since Rhys’ first month as his PA. Rhys didn’t like it, but it made him obey.

“Okay, what’s so important?” he asked, huffing.

“You are stuck under tons of debris,” Jack told him. “You’re seriously wounded but somehow still alive. They are getting to you, kiddo, but you will bleed out if you don’t do something. That piece of metal in your stomach? The second they take it out, your clock will start ticking.”

“Why are you telling me all of that?” Rhys asked, only vaguely aware of the rubble around him. He couldn’t open his eyes anymore, and that meant that Jack was here, his hands were here, Rhys was safe. “Just apply pressure on the wound. Won’t hurt you to do the messy work for once.”

“I… Urgh, I can’t!” Jack groaned next to him, clearly frustrated. Rhys should be the one who was frustrated, honestly. He was tired and aching, and Jack wanted him to work.

“Why? Don’t want to get blood under your nails?” Rhys scoffed.

“I… I…” Jack continued more and more frantically as the noises grew louder than ever. Rhys was getting tired of it, and he was fully intending to go back to sleep and ignore his alarm, but then Jack blurted out: “I can’t because I’m stuck here too! I’m hurt, seriously wounded. I need you to move, Rhys!” he implored.

He didn’t need to implore him. The second the PA heard that, he was forcing his eyes open. He looked around, trying to find his boss, but he was nowhere to be seen. And everything was moving and shaking, more and more dust falling onto his body. He couldn’t call out unless he wanted to eat a mouthful of dust.

Rhys struggled to keep his grip on consciousness. With every second, it changed, clarity coming to him and leaving him, thoughts scattering only to materialise at the front of his mind in the next moment. He knew that he lost something, that he needed to do something, that there was something. He tried to keep it in his mind even though it was slowly dying, leaving him.

And then there was pain so horrible that he screamed, not caring about the dust or his dry throat. It came out as a rasp anyway, and it didn’t stop the agony. It was centred in his right side, so he tried to cover it with his hand, clutch it, squeeze it, make it _stop_ somehow.

Then came the light, too bright, blinding and hurting even more. He couldn’t escape it, couldn’t move, he was just forced to suffer. The loud noises went away but they were replaced by even louder voices, so loud that he just couldn’t understand what they were saying.

He didn’t understand. There were so many people in his small personal hell out of sudden, with no warning, and they were talking to him, screaming at him, touching him. He wanted to escape, but he couldn’t. Someone’s hands held his face firmly, keeping him bound to the world of living.

The world started shaking around him, and Rhys started rising in the air. It made him wonder exactly how firmly he was bound to the world if he could be so easily stolen from its grasp and carried away. His head fell back, unsupported, and he caught a glimpse of his long limbs stretched to the sides, bent in awkward angles that felt _wrong_ , too many angles.

Then he saw what was underneath him. Dust and rubble and big puddles of blood. And Jack surrounded by a blue hue, laying under the same rock that trapped Rhys. He was waving, saying goodbye, and Rhys knew he would never see him again, be with him again, have him again, and even though he was so thirsty and exhausted, he cried. But he didn’t know why.

* * *

**6 weeks later**

“C’mon, Rhysie… Look at me, Cupcake. Open those beautiful eyes for me…”

Jack’s voice gently implored him, but Rhys didn’t want to wake up. Distantly, he knew that the world that he was being pulled into was small, full of dust and stale air, hot and dangerous, crushing his bones. He didn’t want to go back to that world.

But then warm hands appeared on his face, stroking his hair back and brushing his cheeks. It felt so good that he couldn’t resist, opening his eyes just a little, just enough to see the face that belonged to the voice, but not enough to see the ruins of the building.

Jack’s face split in a wide smile. “Good morning, Princess,” he cooed. “Welcome back.”

Slowly, Rhys regained control of more of his body. He opened his eyes wider and looked around, seeing that he was not in the small cave anymore. He was in a private hospital room on Helios. In _Jack’s_ private hospital room, the one where Rhys brought him work related stuff as well as spare clothes while he was recovering from a surgery not long ago.

Mildly confused, the PA tried to ask a question, but he couldn’t force a single sound out. Understanding, Jack gently put one finger on his lips to stop him from further straining himself.

“The drugs are only just wearing off,” he explained. “It might take a while before you can speak. They kept you in an induced coma for six weeks while you were recovering from the worst of it.” His face softened into something Rhys had never seen before, and his hands started caressing the cyborg’s face again. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said.

Rhys blinked a few times, and during that, Jack’s hands left his face and the CEO straightened up, expression going back to his normal self. With great effort, Rhys turned his head to the side to follow the older man’s movements. Even though his body called to him to sleep for a couple more hours, he clung to consciousness, determined to not let this dream slip away from him again.

Jack, to his credit, didn’t leave, nor did he try to sweep his words under the rug. He sat in a comfortable looking chair close to the bed and watched the PA with a guarded expression.

They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes. During that time, Rhys’ tongue began to tingle, and when it stopped, he was sure that he would be able to speak. He didn’t know what to say, though. How could he even be sure he was awake?

Before he knew it, Rhys’ mouth was forming the words he wanted to ask. “Why are you here?” he said, voice raspy and weak.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Jack retorted, squaring his shoulders. He relaxed a little after a while, when Rhys didn’t say anything, and sighed. “The doctors told me you should wake up by tomorrow and I wanted to be there.”

It didn’t feel like an answer to Rhys’ question. Maybe it was the drugs speaking, but it felt like Jack was hiding something. Rhys decided not to pry, though. “I’m tired,” he told Jack and closed his eyes, which were burning for some reason.

“That’s okay,” the CEO said hurriedly. “You need rest. Take a nap, and I’ll tell the nurses to come later.”

Something inside of Rhys’ chest was expanding, squeezing his lungs and heart. It wasn’t suffocating, yet, but it was there, and with every silent second, it grew bigger. And then suddenly, Jack’s warm hand came to rest on his. It felt almost like a mistake, like Jack didn’t mean to put it there. But he didn’t take it away.

Carefully, gently, Rhys squeezed Jack’s fingers. Jack squeezed back, and the thing in Rhys’ chest deflated.

* * *

In the next couple hours, Rhys learned a lot of things. Mainly from speaking to doctors, who explained to him how difficult it was to put him back together without amputating everything below his bellybutton and replacing it with cybernetics.

He was as good as dead when they rescued him, but with Jack providing both funding and motivation for the doctors, they managed to piece his shattered bones back together and filtrate all the bad stuff out of his blood, saving him from blood clots and toxins. The worst part was the spinal injury, but a couple of hundred thousand dollars worth of stem cells fixed that too.

Rhys had a couple more weeks of healing ahead of him, but he was promised that he would make a full recovery. There were many new scars on his body – faint ones from the surgeries and rough, pink ones from the injuries – and he would be weak from the prolonged coma, but very much _alive_.

When Rhys realised that he survived, he had to ask everybody to give him a few minutes. He didn’t have enough strength in himself back on Pandora to say goodbye to life but learning that he would live hit him hard anyway. He focused on breathing the warm, clean air on Helios slowly and calmly, enjoying the faint hum of life around him and the sense of security it provided.

But medical details of his survival weren’t the only thing he had learned. Jack had told him, although quite reluctantly, what happened down on Pandora. First of all, how long it actually took to find him.

“You were recovered thirty-six hours and four minutes after the explosion,” Jack said simply, looking somewhere next to Rhys’ head.

After a minute of taking it in, Rhys gave Jack a half-smile. “It felt like much longer,” he joked.

Jack snorted. “It sure as hell did.” He looked down to his lap where his fingers were intertwined and sighed. “We got to you fast, but you were still incredibly lucky. The doctors said that with the injuries you had, you shouldn’t have been alive past the five-hour mark. It’s a miracle you survived.”

Rhys didn’t waste energy on doubting that Handsome Jack, a self-made man, knew what a miracle is. Instead, he thought back to the time he spent under the building. “I think,” he mused, a small smirk on his lips, “I remember really wanting to go back to work.”

For a second, Jack just stared at him, incredulous. Then he barked out a laugh, shaking his head. “Of course you did!” he exclaimed, looking at Rhys somewhat fondly. “Well, unfortunately, you aren’t going back to work for another couple weeks at least.”

Rhys took it with grace, not pouting at all. “I deserve a vacation, anyway,” he said, tilting his head up and trying to keep a stone face.

“You’ve got one hell of a way to ask for paid leave,” Jack laughed. “What are you gonna do when you want a raise? Put poison in my coffee?”

“Hmm, that’s how I ask to change my work hours, so I don’t have to get up early,” Rhys hummed before laughing, too. It made all bones below his collar and every muscle surrounding them hurt, but it was worth it. Jack’s hand returned to his, squeezing gently, almost as if asking. Can I stay?

Biting his lip, Rhys tried to pull Jack’s hand closer, so he could intertwine their fingers. He watched the CEO’s face carefully, afraid that he might be overstepping. Jack didn’t stop him.

When he was sure that he didn’t do anything wrong, Rhys looked down at their hands. Jack’s was much bigger than his own, and his skin was darker. Rhys was tiny and pale compared to him. He was _nothing_ next to the big man, and yet again he was reminded of it, a memory of mean words echoing in his mind. Words said by a hallucination, but still.

Just as carefully as he brought them together, Rhys untangled his hand from Jack’s and hid his hand under the thin hospital blanket for good measure, so he wouldn’t be tempted. He couldn’t watch Jack’s face anymore, afraid that he would see a confirmation. Jack was probably just trying to comfort him, like a friend. There wasn’t anything more between them, and even _friend_ was too generous of a term.

Without a word, Jack got up and left, leaving Rhys alone. The PA’s head hit the pillow and he closed his eyes firmly, something aching in his chest.

Maybe this, he wondered to himself, would finally be the day when his crush on Jack killed him.

* * *

As expected, Rhys didn’t die. But he wished the ground swallowed him, so he wouldn’t have to face Jack ever again. He felt miserable after the older man left, wondering what happened and finding no answers. Desperate, he even allowed himself to imagine that Jack shared his feelings, and he was hurt by Rhys’ nonchalant behaviour. But that was just a silly thought, because Handsome Jack didn’t have feelings for stupid PAs, and he certainly wasn’t butthurt by their stupidity.

The next day, Rhys’ request to see his friends was finally approved, and Yvette and Vaughn took a day off at work to come and see him. After a lot of careful hugging, and some sobbing on Vaughn’s part, they sat down – Yvette in Jack’s chair and Vaughn on the bed next to Rhys’ legs.

Almost immediately, Yvette recognised that something was bothering Rhys and pried the answer from him. He forewent the part where he would admit having a crush on Jack, because that was obvious to his friends long ago. Instead, he went right to business, describing what happened and asking what they thought about it.

If Rhys expected his friends to be as confused as him, or even laugh at him for being naïve and thinking that there was something between him and Jack, he was wrong. Both his friends remained quiet for a long time, exchanging looks that were downright _anguished_. In the end, Yvette broke and spoke up while Vaughn rubbed his face with both palms and shook his head.

“Rhys,” the woman said, “you’re an absolute idiot. And you and Jack need to talk. Everybody, and I mean _everybody_ has seen it, but you’re still blind. Even after Jack spent millions on saving your life. I’d like to say I can’t believe that you still don’t know, but I know you. I believe it.”

“I agree with Yvette,” Vaughn said before Rhys could point out that she didn’t really tell him anything. “You and Jack need to talk.”

“About what?” he asked, frowning. “What was I supposed to see?”

At that question, Vaughn dramatically fell off the bed and faceplanted on the floor. Yvette appeared to be considering doing the same, but then she gazed down at her expensive looking black pants and simply shrugged one shoulder towards the man as if saying, _what he said_.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Rhys grumbled, folding his arm on his chest. He still hadn’t received his new cybernetic arm, and he would have to wait for it even longer, until his spine was completely healed, so the shock of putting on a new cybernetic wouldn’t burn the new neural connections. At least Jack ordered the best model for him and paid for it. He didn’t even make it yellow, knowing that Rhys was thinking about investing into the chrome model.

Eventually, they changed topics to something less stressing and more pleasant. Vaughn and Yvette got takeout for lunch and ate together with Rhys, and then they spent another couple hours chatting. A lot had happened in their lives while Rhys was out of it, even though to him it seemed like a couple days at best and not six weeks.

As the evening neared and no nurse came to tell them that the visiting hours were over, they assumed that because Rhys was a VIP, they could do whatever they wanted and left to get another takeout meal, deciding to spend even more time with their friend. Rhys couldn’t deny them. Even though he had to take a nap every hour because of how exhausted he was, he was happy that his friends stayed with him. The sense of dread and loneliness that haunted him while he was trapped on Pandora was still present in his memories, and he didn’t want to be alone, especially when having his friends there meant not waking up alone in a dark room.

The sound of a paper bag being opened woke him up from one of his many power naps, and Rhys’ nose was hit by a pleasant smell of delicious, exotic food. He opened his eyes, intending to leech some of the food off his friends, even though he was still on hospital diet, but sitting in the chair was neither Yvette nor Vaughn. It was Jack.

“Hey,” Rhys greeted reluctantly, eyes searching the room for any evidence that his friends were there.

“Hey, Pumpkin,” Jack answered, fishing a plastic bowl out of the paper bag. “Figured you might appreciate some real food. Don’t worry, it’s safe for ya, just fresher and overall better than dry rice with the side of rice, or whatever they’ve been feeding you here.”

Jack sounded like his usual self, mostly ignoring Rhys and basically talking to himself. When he got all of the food ready, he brought a tray to Rhys’ bed and put it all there. There was a bowl full of the deliciously smelling food, another with cut-up vegetables, a plate with bread and a cup of water. Rhys was treated nicely by the hospital staff, but this was even better than the VIP treatment.

“Thanks,” he said shyly, grabbing a spoon. He had a little trouble keeping eye contact with Jack, so he was grateful for the opportunity to focus on the food. The CEO mumbled something in answer and dug into his own meal, something that smelled much spicier.

The meal was already almost lukewarm, so Rhys tried to eat it fast. _Tried_ being the important word. The bowl kept sliding away from the spoon, and he had to put the utensil down every time he tried to take a bite of bread. He forgot how frustrating having only one arm could get.

A couple minutes after they started eating, they were interrupted by knocking on the door. However, Yvette and Vaughn quickly changed their minds when they saw that Jack was inside. They picked up their things and left hastily. Even Yvette, who usually wasn’t intimidated by anything, didn’t want to test her luck by standing between Jack and Rhys right then.

Jack’s bowl was empty – to Rhys’ disgust, the CEO licked the bowl clean, which shouldn’t have taken the PA by surprise anymore but he never got used to witnessing that – by the time Rhys only ate half of it. He decided that he’d had enough and pushed it away, feeling ready for another nap.

But Jack wasn’t leaving, he was just sitting there, staring at Rhys. They seemed to be equally unsure about their situation. When the silence became too much, Rhys decided to bite the bullet.

“So,” he said, but he didn’t need to say anything else, because Jack started talking at the same time, in a hurried manner, so Rhys wouldn’t be able to get a word past him if he tried.

“I think we can skip the part where we try to avoid the topic and guess what the other one is thinking and go right to being honest with each other, okay? Okay.” He took a small break to take a breath and continued, eyes deliberately avoiding Rhys’. “When I learned that the base exploded while you were in there, I… didn’t take it well. On a possibly unrelated note, most of the furniture in our office was replaced. Fortunately, Meg was just at the door and heard me, and because she is smart, she got to work immediately and brought me good news – she noticed that you accessed some restricted data after the explosions were over, meaning that there was a small chance that you were alive. So, I travelled down to Pandora and made sure that they found you in time.”

Rhys was stunned to silence. Hearing how much luck he had to have to survive this experience was one thing. But also learning how much effort, skill, and luck went into rescuing him, and… and hearing about Jack’s reaction from the man himself. It made goosebumps appear all over his body.

Jack continued. “But hey, it only took six weeks and you’re back! And now we can either go back to normal, or you can finally stop being an oblivious dumbass and finally notice how much you mean to me. Because those past two years? The dates, gifts, all the mind-blowing sex and the rest of it? It meant a fucking lot to me, and all the time you keep treating me like I paid you to be with me, but I _know_ that’s _not_ how you feel, I know about your stupid crush. So, if you could just drop all the unnecessary professionalism and finally tell me what you feel, so I can be sure that I didn’t spend two years chasing nothing—”

When he finally stopped, he was panting, his shoulders shaking with every breath. Rhys’ mouth was hanging open, and he couldn’t bring himself to say anything, too stunned by all the things Jack dumped at him out of nowhere. And he didn’t even know _what_ to say. What do you say in such a situation?

To make it even worse, Jack spoke up again, this time in a calm voice. He didn’t sound desperate, but the words he had said spoke about the state of his mind. “Say something, Rhys.”

He _had_ to say something. If he didn’t force his stupid mouth to move, Jack would leave again, and he wouldn’t probably ever come back. Rhys didn’t want Jack to leave him, but he didn’t know what to say, and the time was running out. For some reason, he remembered the hallucination that accompanied him under the ruins; he said that his clock was ticking. But he didn’t know what to do, _for fuck’s sake!_ He wanted Jack, wanted this all to be true, wanted the thing between them to be real, more.

The heart monitor next to Rhys made a few sharp beeping sounds, alerting them that his heart rate went up drastically. Rhys was still too shocked to do anything about it, but Jack reacted. He frowned and stood up, causing cold panic to shortly wash over Rhys as he feared that Jack was leaving, but then Jack sat down on the edge of the bed.

The older man placed one hand on the younger’s face, looking at him with concern. “Are you alright, kiddo?” he asked softly, stroking Rhys’ cheek. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Only then did Rhys realise that he was crying, and there wasn’t even the annoying burning in his eyes to warn him. He shook his head, because it wasn’t alright. He wasn’t supposed to cry in front of Jack; in front of _anyone_.

Jack answered by gently pulling him forward into a loose hug. Rhys could push away from him at any moment if he wanted, but he didn’t want that, so he snaked his arm around Jack’s chest and pulled him closer, clinging to him and hiding his face in the crook of his neck.

“Shh, it’s alright,” the CEO soothed, voice softer than ever before. “You don’t need to say anything. I’m here.”

So, Rhys stopped trying to _say something_. And then it was almost easy.

“I was so scared I wouldn’t see you again,” he sobbed. “I thought that I had ruined everything. That you wouldn’t come back, o-or that you changed your mind.” He felt Jack tense up against him when he realised that Rhys wasn’t talking about what happened on Pandora but about them, and so he burrowed his face further into Jack’s skin, feeling his heartbeat beating steadily against his cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“Don’t be, dumdum,” Jack gently corrected him. “Everything’s alright. I just…” his breath caught in his throat, and he tensed up again, pulling Rhys closer. “I’m just kinda emotional because I spent six weeks pacing around your bed and stuff. Don’t tell anyone about this, by the way.”

“As if someone would believe me. _I_ don’t believe me,” Rhys snorted wetly, taking a deep breath to collect himself.

So, it was true, after all. It wasn’t just a dream. Every lingering touch, every soft smile, every teasing jab, it was honest, wasn’t just Jack’s game to achieve… something. He wanted to… He wanted _Rhys_.

Never in the past two years did Rhys stop to consider that option. Safe for a rare daydream, Rhys didn’t think that he could ever be something more to Jack. Even now, he had trouble imagining it. He had been Jack’s PA for a long time; they spent so much time together. Could there be even more?

“What are you thinking about, Princess?” Jack asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Us,” Rhys answered hesitantly, still testing the waters. “About… How life would be if…” he huffed, at loss for words. There seemed to be no way to express it without saying it directly, and he didn’t have the strength for that.

“You still don’t believe it,” Jack guessed.

Rhys shook his head. It was only partially true. He knew Jack, and so he knew that the CEO was being honest with him. He did believe; he just didn’t _understand_. “I just… It’s too much, Jack, I…” he huffed again, pulling away. “I might need a longer nap to be able to process this. There has been so much going on, and I have to figure out physical therapy, moving back in with Vaughn, and my orchids have probably all died…”

Sighing, Jack shook his head, the corner of his mouth tugging up. “Your orchids were taken care off. By Meg, not me, don’t worry. I’m sure they are still alive.” He patted Rhys’ shoulder, keeping the distance the younger man had put between them. “As for your therapy and staying with someone while you can’t move around, I was thinking you should stay with me. If you want.”

“Jack…”

“Overwhelmed, I know. Don’t say anything. We can sort everything out later. Now sleep, little kitten.”

* * *

Rhys woke up gradually. His body was so relaxed that it refused to obey him as he tried to stretch lazily and chase the sleepiness away. He yawned, blinking repeatedly until his vision cleared, his gaze falling on a familiar view of stars.

Slowly, he shifted on the bed, relishing in the softness of the sheets and blankets, and trying to find a more comfortable position. He didn’t want to go back to sleep, but there was little he could do but lay on the bed and gaze at the stars.

The space around him was filled with a pleasant smell, and Rhys breathed in deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. He felt calm and rested, and for some reason, it felt especially good in that moment. He didn’t ponder over it and instead enjoyed the morning atmosphere.

Maybe he ended up dozing off, because the next thing he knew, a warm hand was gently stroking his face, a familiar voice calling his name. His nose was filled with the scent of coffee, some food with a lot of herbs and spices, and honey. The last one Rhys recognised as Jack’s shower gel.

“Good morning,” the sleepy man muttered, face leaning into the palm on his cheek. He nuzzled it mindlessly, only stopping when he heard a chuckle.

“ _Cute_ ,” Jack commented it, half teasing and half fond. “Breakfast is ready, Princess. Do you want to use the bathroom first?”

Sighing, Rhys forced his eyes open, involuntarily smiling when he saw Jack in front of him. A tray with his breakfast was placed on the nightstand, like every morning for the past five days. He stretched his neck while he contemplated the food, and then the distance he would have to walk to the bathroom.

In the end, Rhys nodded, carefully sitting up. He was allowed to walk with the support of someone else now, so Jack didn’t have to carry him like the first three days, but walking wasn’t really fun when it hurt like it did.

Jack turned out to be a great caretaker. A little bit impatient at times but never taking his frustration out on the younger man. He waited for Rhys to get his feet on the ground and then hoisted him up, hooking the younger man’s arm over his shoulder and supporting him as they slowly walked to the bathroom. He tensed up minutely whenever Rhys hissed because of pain or the general stiffness of his body, but he was, thankfully, past asking if Rhys is okay every two steps.

Being helped with getting to the toilet became easier after that many days, but Rhys still avoided Jack’s eyes when he helped him pull his underwear down – because Rhys couldn’t bend down without falling – and sit. Jack left, and Rhys did what needed to be done, cleaning himself off as best as he could.

The older man returned and helped him get to the sink, then sit on the bathtub while he brushed his teeth, and then they slowly walked back to the bedroom. Step by step, every muscle complaining until he rested on the mattress again. Both men sighed, Jack mindlessly fussing over Rhys, covering up his bare legs and ruffling up his pillows.

“Thanks,” Rhys hummed absently, partially lost in thought. His eyes were fixed on the other half of the bed, still messy where Jack had slept that night. And then it hit him.

“I didn’t have nightmares tonight,” he noted. “I slept through the night without waking up.”

“Yes, you did,” Jack confirmed with a smile. He didn’t make eye contact while he reached for the tray and arranged it over Rhys’ lap. “Made something new. It should be easy on your stomach, but if it’s too spicey for you, you probably shouldn’t eat it yet.”

“Thank you,” Rhys said again, hoping that Jack understood. He didn’t want to make the morning any sappier.

“Yeah,” Jack brushed it off, pressing a fork into Rhys’ palm in lieu of telling him to shut up. “Eat before it gets cold, dumdum.”

They didn’t have another honest conversation about them since Jack opened up in the hospital six days ago. The fact that it didn’t happen even though they were spending most of the day closely together explained a lot and partially eased some weight off Rhys’ conscience. It reminded him that Jack was never open enough for him to notice his feelings, while Rhys never had enough confidence in himself as a person to look deeper into Jack’s actions. They were two idiots.

Even without being reminded of what Jack had said, and what Rhys failed to react to, the younger man knew that how the whole situation would unravel was on him and him only. He was in control, which shouldn’t be scary, given his job, but being in control of whatever would be between him and _Handsome Jack_ felt almost beyond his competence.

Except it was a normal thing two adults did all the time. He was just a dumbass with a hero worship and a shit ton of insecurities making it all the more complicated for himself.

“Eat, Rhysie,” Jack reminded quietly, sipping his own coffee while watching him. He put his cup down when Rhys looked up, meeting his eyes.

“I…” he began to say, grasping for words until he gave up and just let all his thoughts spill. “I want this to work. And I— I just… I want you.”

Jack chuckled, a smirk playing on his lips. “You’ve got me, Pumpkin. I’m right here.” He shut his mouth tight when he said it, seeming to fight with himself inwardly before he added: “And I’ll stay for however long you want me to.”

Rhys relaxed when strong arms wrapped around his form, feeling better already. He breathed out deeply, nuzzling Jack’s chest, and he could feel Jack’s next words reverberating through his ribcage.

“We’ve got plenty of time to figure it out, babe. Trust takes time… Both trust in another person, and in yourself. But I know we’ll make it work. You know why? Because we’re the most badass men in the whole galaxy.”

Rhys snorts, even though he is feeling warm and emotional and overwhelmed by love. He chuckles, nodding, trying to make sense of his feelings but he can’t, not yet. But it doesn’t matter. Jack is right – they are badass, and they will make it work. They will be the most awesome and powerful couple in the galaxy.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ElfWriting), and newly also [Tumblr](https://lostelfwriting.tumblr.com/) where I post headcanons, prompts, ideas and other stuff!


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